


in a heartbeat

by talonyth



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: pro gamer au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-11
Updated: 2015-05-11
Packaged: 2018-03-30 01:33:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3918340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talonyth/pseuds/talonyth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kenma's working overtime to practice with Kuroo, their most recent team member, but not just for work's sake.</p>
            </blockquote>





	in a heartbeat

**Author's Note:**

> boy, e-sports are a hard business and way too underrated. you'd think "eh but it's just a game" but trust me, no way. pro gamers are raw af and teams are worse than actual sport teams. i do figure kenma would do a great job at that though so here goes, this has been my first attempt at them so i hope it's still enjoyable!!

Kenma rubs his eyes and blinks repeatedly. They feel dry and exhausted, given he’s been playing for more than 10 hours now without a proper break. He knows better than to fall asleep on his keyboard but this is not about a mere hobby anymore. He can’t remember when exactly he got into competitive gaming, enough to be recruited into a rather skilled group, playing professionally. It seems ridiculous to everyone he speaks to - but in fact, it is no different than playing sports. Except it doesn’t involve as much movement, and that, Kenma very much appreciates.

Even then, he usually spends some time playing League of Heroes but always with breaks to have time playing other games as well. It’s hard balancing gaming as a profession and gaming as a hobby but it works. Normally. When there isn’t a new rookie messing around within the team. Now Kenma knows, it’s hard to be new and that guy - one going by the name of kitcat - he definitely has the potential, the intelligence to be a good player. Smart moves, sneaky tactics, fair too, if he would focus more on playing rather than speaking.

The small window at the bottom of his monitor flashes and Kenma doesn’t need to look to know that this is him. He would never admit this is the reason he stays up for much longer, just to train kitcat. …Kuro. _> >it’s kuro/o/ but i guess kuro’s a cute nickname. you can call me that since it’s you._ That’s what he said back a week ago when they first started training together more intensely. Only after his teammates came to talk to Kenma, asking him to see whether they could keep Kuro or not. 

10 hours, they passed in a flash, Kenma thinks. Time used to pass so slowly for him but now…

>>kitcat: wanna call it a day for today?

>>foxclaw: hm.

>>kitcat: hm.

Kenma wrinkles his nose at Kuro imitating him, not sure whether he is displeased at Kuro’s attempt or not. He decides to let it slide, as always.

>>kitcat: you should sleep somewhen too you know, you’ve been playing with me for hours and you were around for hours before that too

Of any other, Kenma might have felt uncomfortable hearing this. Thinking he is not welcome anymore, thinking they might want to get rid of him by pretending to be nice when they are not. …He doesn’t like his teammates very much, all older than him, all considering themselves to be the most important link of the chain. Kuro is different though. Perhaps because he is newer although Kenma feels like even if he is the freshest member in their team, he is not as inexperienced as he pretends to be. Or perhaps he is simply a natural talent.

>>foxclaw: hm. could be.

>>kitcat: i know this. come on. if i don’t tell you to rest who will?

>>foxclaw: no argument.

>>kitcat: yes argument. go to sleep.

>>foxclaw: no.

>>kitcat: aw do you enjoy the time with me this much?

Kenma stares at the letters until he can see them even when his eyelids are shut tightly. He could simply say yes. It’s the truth and Kenma isn’t fond of lying in particular. But how often has he enjoyed someone’s presence yet found them not to be thinking the same? How often has he tried to reach out but every time it failed, he…

>>kitcat: you still have to sleep. we can still continue tomorrow. won’t do any good if the genius is collapsing.

>>foxclaw: what

>>kitcat: oh kenma. you don’t see your own abilities as i do and everyone should. especially not when you are tired. go to sleep.

His teammates, they said Kuro misbehaves all the time. Doesn’t play very fair when he isn’t around to check on him. ‘You are the only one he works with. Teach him some team spirit, will you? We’re going to fuck up the championships otherwise.’ As if they would. Kenma has thought about every sort of strategy, has watched endlessly many records of the opponent teams in the last weeks. Certainly, every team member should backup the next but… he hasn’t seen Kuro being rude ever. Provocative, that yes but there are others far worse than him.

To him, Kuro is always the one reassuring him. He tells him nice things, he tells him things none of the others ever did. Kuro gives him an importance Kenma would prefer not to let it go to his head… but it feels good. Even if he never once said it and doesn’t plan on doing so.

>>foxclaw: i’ll go after one more try. you said you wanted to try a trick?

>>kitcat: i could try it tomorrow.

>>foxclaw: try it today. if it doesn’t work i will have time to think about how to assist you better before we start tomorrow.

>>kitcat: that means you won’t sleep after one more try.

>>foxclaw: i did say i would go, not that i would sleep.

>>kitcat: kenma. do you want me to come over and slam dunk you into your bed with love? don’t make me. i’m a terrific basketball player.

>>foxclaw: didn’t you play volleyball

>>kitcat: you’re missing the point

And then, Kenma types without thinking for once and he thinks Kuro might have been right about his skills of judgment at ass o’clock in the night.

>>foxclaw: what if i would have said ‘then come’

He cannot believe his fingers typed that sort of thing. It almost sounds… suggestive though Kenma would rather not elaborate (to himself, of all people!) why he knows what that means. He wishes he could delete messages. Or maybe himself, for now. Restore himself from the bin tomorrow although that might be too soon for Kuro to have forgotten. …He never takes forever to reply but this one, it takes what feels to Kenma like ages. Centuries. Perhaps until then the new add-on is out.

>>kitcat: i would have been there in a heartbeat

Kuro is kind. He often says and does things Kenma doesn’t understand (and decides he probably doesn’t want to either) but having his teammates call him unreliable and good for nothing except for his brain when he wants to, it makes Kenma angry. He doesn’t ever show it, he has no reason to to drive people even farther away from him even if he knows they are very likely to think the same of him. To them who said Kuro needs to be taught team spirit, to them who treat everyone else as pawns and forgetting that this, even if it is their job and their life, is still a game meant to be fun, to them Kenma would one day like to prove his own worth.

And he knows that with Kuro, he might.

**Author's Note:**

> i know it's called league of legends, don't slay me, but i decided to switch the title a bit in case i had to go in for details about battles (which i didn't, thankfully) so i could also make up some stuff, seeing as i am a hecking noob at lol. other than that, thanks for reading this!


End file.
